Geordie Dictionary : A-B

Selected words from Tyneside and the North East

This is a light-hearted selection of dialect words from the North East of England.
Many of these words are still in current use or recalled by older dialect speakers.

Most of the words featured here are familiar in the Tyneside 'Geordie' dialect
but some are unique to or more prevalent in other parts of the region. For a broader
look at the region's dialect and the origins of 'Geordie' see other sections of
'Roots of the Region' within this website..

The phrases highlighted in colour below are translated at the end of the page. Hev a gan yersel' forst using the dictionary then check your answers to see how you did.

A

Aa'l: I will. I'll.Aabut: Almost.Aad: Old. From the Anglo-Saxon eald. 'Aad wife' is an
old woman.Aad Fashint: Old-fashioned.Aakward: Awkward.Aal / Ahrl: All. It can also be an earl as in 'Aall Grey's Tea',
though this may also occur as 'Orl'.Aal Reet or Aareet : Alright. Mostly used as a term of greeting
in the same way as hello.

Above: South Shields and North Shields

Aal Tigithor: Altogether - like the folks o' the Sheels (altogether like the people of North Shields and South Shields).Aboon: Above.

Addle: To earn. Afeard: Afraid. Afore: Before, but much more common in the Scots dialect.Agyen: Can mean again or against.Ahint: Behind. probably from the Anglo-Saxon aethindan.Aan or Ain: Own.Ahaad: Ahold. Ahungered: Hungry. Akka: When someone is a a bit crazy in the head.Alang: Along.Ald: Variation of 'Aad'.Ald Nick or Aad Nick: The Devil also known as the De'il.Amang: Among. Anglo-Saxon origin.An all / An aal: As well. "Ye can come an aal". Argie: Argue.Ashet: A dish on which a pie is served. From the French 'assiette'.Aw: I - me. As in Aw went te' Blaydon races.Axe / Aix / Ast : Ask from the Anglo-Saxon acsian to ask.Axle Teeth: Molars. From a Viking word joxl.Aye: Yes. From Anglo-Saxon meaning 'ever-always'.Ayont: Beyond. Anglo-Saxon a geont.

B

Bad: Feeling unwell. "Aw's bad t'iday".Baccy: Tobacco. As in the song Dance Ti' Thy Daddy: "Come
here me little Jacky, noo hev had me baccy, let's hev a a bit o' cracky till the
boat comes in". See also crack.Bairn: A child. Anglo-Saxon (specifically Angle) and Viking
word. The phrase "shy bairns get nowt" is the Geordie version of "if you don't
get ask, you don't get".Bait / Bayut : Food taken to work, especially in the mining districts of Durham. From Old. Norse
beita. Please note that 'Old Norse' was the early language of
Scandinavia spoken by the Vikings and does not refer to an old matron from
Newcastle General Hospital.Bank: A hill.Baste: To trash or beat.Batts: Flat land forming an island in a river or alongside a river.

Barney: Barnard Castle (pictured above). A toon in Teesdale.. A barney might also be a fightBastle: A fortified farmhouse.Baxter: A Baker.Beck: Used in south and East Durham, Yorkshire and Cumbria.
Beck is a Viking word for a stream. Becks feed the Tees, burns feed the Tyne and
both feed the Wear.Beclarted: To get dirty or mucky in the sense of needing a wash.Beclarted.: Dirtied.Belaa: Below.Belang: Belong as in a native of somewhere. 'Aw belangs Jarra,
aw belangs Sheels, aw belangs Sunlun, aw belangs Newcassel'.Belta: Fantastic! Great! Often heard in the phrase 'Pure belta'.Beor: Beer.Beuk: A book.Bezzums / Buzzeems: Brooms.
Made from twigs and branches.Bishop: Bishop Auckland.Blaa: Blow.Blaa Oot: Heavy drinking session. See also hoy.Black and White: A Newcastle United football club supporter. See also
Toon Army.Blather / Blether: Talk nonsense. 'What ye blatherin' an aboot?' What are you talking about? From an Old Norse word
blathra.Blaydon Races: National Anthem of Tyneside.Blather Skite: Someone who talks incessantly about nonsense.Bleezer: Metal screen used to encourage the blaze in a coal fire.Blinnd: Blind.Bobby Dazla: Bonny attractive person. 'A reet Bobby Dazla'.Bogie: A go-cart'Boggle: A ghost or spectre.Bonny: Beautiful, good looking. From the French bon - good.Bonny Lad: Informal term of endearment or form of address
'Y'areet bonny lad? - 'are you well my good chap?' Address from one male to another usually to a younger male or one of similar age.Boody: Potware or plasterware, especially an ornament of a dog.

Booler: Child's iron hoop (pictured above). A toy of the kind seen in the schoolyard at Beamish Museum.Bord: Bird.Boro or The Boro: Middesbrough Football Club or Middlesbrough itself even though Middlesbrough is not spelled
'Middlesborough'.Borst: Burst.Bourn: A stream (Burn) it is an Anglo-Saxon word, but now most
commonly associated with Scotland. Used in Northumberland, Tyneside and the
northern part of County Durham in preference to beck. See 'Beck'. Can also mean
to burn, set alight.Bowk: Belch.Bowld: Bold.Brag: A goblin or sprite.Brazen or Brazened: Bold or cheeky.Bray: Hit, thump or beat. Old French word breier to pound.Breed: Bread.Breeks: Breeches (Trousers). From-Anglo-Saxon
brec.Brock: A badger.Brokken: Broken.Broon: Brown or Newcastle Brown Ale.Browt: Brought.Browt Up: Bring up - upbringing.Bubble, Bubblin: Cry, Crying. Buff: Naked.Bullet: A sweet - a word of French origin.Bullyjock: A male turkey.Bumble Kite: Blackberry, though not of the kind you might make a call with.Bummler: Bumble Bee.Burn: A stream. See Bourn.Burr (or Borr): The name given to the strange Northumbrian pronounciation of the
'R' sound.Buss: Kiss.But: A kind of spoken full stop or 'period'. Sentences are often ended
with the word 'but'. For example, when describing someone a Geordie may
say 'she's a canny lass but'. This means that she is a nice girl. It
doesn't imply that there is some unspoken flaw in her chraracter that the
speaker is reluctant to reveal.Butterloggy: A Teesside and Hartlepool word for a Butterfly.
From a Viking word.Byeuts: Boots.